Strife is one of the things that the Lord hates. The reason is because where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (James 3:16). The question we are asking today is, how should we avoid strife?
Seek unity
Because of the fall of man, the natural state of humanity is jealousy and strife. However the word of God says that we should learn to live in unity with our brethren because where there is unity, the Lord has commanded His blessing:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
Seek peace
The word of God says we should live in peace with everyone. Therefore when the temptation comes to get in strife or argue, we should remember that the Lord wants us to live in peace and even if it means we overlook an argument, we should be willing to do that. It’s the Lord’s desire that there should be peace and harmony among us:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)
Seek love and reconciliation
When we see that we are in danger of getting into an argument and strife, we are encouraged by Proverbs to avoid it, leave it alone and simply refuse to argue:
Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.
Proverbs 17:14 (NLT)
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me to avoid strife and live at peace with everyone in Jesus name.
A sound heart is very important because out of it proceed the issues of life. The question today is, how do we develop a sound heart?
Deal with issues that arise in your heart
We must acknowledge that things are in our heart that is not always pleasant. The Bible says that the human heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore when wicked thoughts comes into the heart, we must not think it strange and neither should we try to suppress it. We need to instead run to the Lord to ask Him to help us deal with the issues in our heart:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV)
Remove unforgiveness from your heart
There are certain things we do that does not allow us to have a sound heart. One of them is harbouring unforgiveness in our hearts. We must daily ask the Lord to search us and see if there is any unforgiveness in our hearts because unforgivenesss will block us from enjoying a sound heart:
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Mark 11:25 (NKJV)
Remove bitterness from our hearts
When we refuse to forgive, it can lead to bitterness developing in our hearts which acts like a cancer. Bitterness will prevent us from enjoying all the benefits and privileges that God has set for us:
Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Hebrews 12:15 (NLT)
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help me to guard my heart for out of it comes the issues of life in Jesus name.
Happy New Year. We wish you a financially prosperous and blessed New Year ahead.
The bible has a lot to say about money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions including the famous one from I Timothy that says “the love of money is the root of all evils.” Notice is says “the love of money,” not just money.
Money can be something that draws us away from God and can destroy relationships. It can also be used to bless many people, relieve suffering and spread the Gospel. Money is not the problem as such, the bible cautions us it’s our relationship with money that’s important.
1, God desires us to be financially secure
Essentially money is a vessel to enhance the work of the kingdom of God. God wants us to be financially free from both greed and debt. He wants us to be good stewards of money. God desires us to be financially secure. He desires us to be in a place where we can give to others.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:2-4
2, God desires that we handle money wisely and effectively
God wants us to be financially literate and wise with money. He wants us to be able to invest and get a good return on the money we have. The parable of the talents sums this up. Matthew 25:14-30 One steward receives five talents. Another receives two talents. A third steward receives one talent. These stewards are entrusted with the care of money. The first two understand the spirit and letter of instructions and the character of their Lord. They both use the resources by “trading” to gain a profit. Each of them makes a 100 percent profit. Fear and mistrust of his Lord motivate the third steward. He buries the money in the earth and returns the original amount. The profitable stewards are praised, given increased responsibilities and invited to enter into the joy of their Lord. The untrusting steward is scolded, rejected, and punished. The basis of the reward will be their stewardship of His resources entrusted to them. Those who fear and do not believe will be rejected and judged. Here we can see that God desires us to grow and prosper and to get a return. We can see therefore that being financially free is God’s desire for our life so we can bless ourselves and others.
3, God desires that we love Him more then we love money
The love of money is the root of all evil. God does not say being a millionaire or financially free is evil. He says that loving money more than God is the root of all evil. He cautions us that we cannot serve two masters.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
Our goal is to have money, to be blessed by money but to not serve it as an idol and regard it as more important than God.
Summary
It is safe to say then that God views money as important. God desires His children to have money. He wants us to bless ourselves and others with money. He wants us to be financially free and secure so that we can bless each other and the poor. His main desire is that we love Him more than money. God says if we look after His interests He will bless us in all areas of our life abundantly.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10
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All the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard about this, including those in the highlands, the lowlands, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon. They were Hittites and Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
Joshua 9:1-2 (CEB)
Jebus means “trodden” or a “threshing place” and “bus” means “to trample, loath, tread down, tread under, thread under foot, be polluted”. From these two definitions we can infer that the Jebusite spirit is one that puts people down and makes them feel small and rejected.
In life many things may happen that could make us to feel small and rejected however rejection is not from God. Feelings of rejection can make you to isolate yourself from the very people that God wants to bless through you, therefore rejection is a killer of destiny and we must overcome it in order to achieve the purposes that God has for our lives.
How do you overcome rejection?
Believe that God loves you
The Bible tells us that God so loves the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Even if you feel that nobody loves you, remember that God loves you so much that He sacrificed His only Son for you, and that is what matters;
Believe that God will never leave you or forsake you
Even when your father and mother forsake you, the Bible tells us that God will take care of you (Psalm 27:10). Therefore even if you were abandoned by your father or mother at birth and you grew up an orphan, remember The Lord said that He will be a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5). God is like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son, He is eagerly waiting and ready to embrace you in His arms if only you will come back to Him and ask Him to be your Father;
Forgive those who have hurt you
People may do things or say things which hurt you that could eventually lead to feelings of rejection. However it is important to choose to forgive the people who have hurt you and release them from your heart and mind and ask the Lord to bless them (Luke 6:28). Though this is extremely hard to do, when you do it you will find that the feelings of rejection and hurt will lose their hold and you will finally have peace in your heart;
Remember that nothing shall separate you from the love of Christ
Paul asks “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” In fact, in everything we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. Paul says He is convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39);
Seek Deliverance
Feelings of rejection can become so entrenched in a person that it can become a stronghold which nothing can shift but the deliverance power of God. If you find that rejection has become a part of you and others reject you wherever you go, the Bible says that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered (Joel 2:32). Therefore call on Jesus and ask Him to remove the spirit of rejection from you. Even if it doesn’t go at first keep calling on the Lord and He will deliver you (Psalm 18:2). Once deliverance takes place you will find it much easier to love people and to be loved by others.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I believe that You will never leave me or forsake me therefore please help me to overcome every form of rejection in my life, in Jesus name.
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How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
All the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard about this, including those in the highlands, the lowlands, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon. They were Hittites and Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
Joshua 9:1-2 (CEB)
“Hivite” means, “villagers”. If you already read the previous article in this series on the Perizzites, you will remember that “Perizzite” means “belonging to a village”, which is very similar to the meaning of “Hivite”. This implies that many of the things we said about the Perizzites also apply to Hivites. As we said with the Perizzites, villages have a connotation of “limited vision”, implying that Hivites also have a limited vision of life. What makes them different from the Perizzites, however, is the way in which people under the influence of Hivite spirits limit their life.
The word “Hivite” is derived in Hebrew from the word chavvah, which means “life” or “living”. Since the word “Hivite” is related to the concept of “life” in Hebrew, we can infer that the Hivites’ vision of life is not one of limitation, poverty, and self-deprecation, as is the case with the Perizzites. On the contrary, Hivites love to “live it up”.
Because of all the abundance and grace that surrounds them, they limit the vision of their lives to merely enjoying the wealth and fame built up by their parents (or even themselves). Hivites turn into people with few ambitions in life; all they want to do is to travel around the world and have a “good time”. Such people are prone to believe that they have nothing else to do in life but relax and enjoy the wealth they have accumulated during their lives.
God wants us to enjoy life. In fact, Jesus Christ came that we may have the abundant life, and we are told in Ecclesiastes 3:12 that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while we live. It goes on to say that it is the gift of God when we eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all our work.
What God also expects from us is to live for Him whilst we are on earth and do good to those around us. Let’s consider the story of the rich fool:
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21
How do you overcome living just for earthly pleasures?
Set your mind on the things above, not on earthly things
Since we have been raised with Christ, we are encouraged to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God, and to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2). We are also encouraged by the Psalmist to look up to the hills from where comes our help, for our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2);
Fix your eyes on Jesus
Let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2);
Be hot in love with Jesus
Jesus told the Church in Ephesus that they had lost their first love and must repent and return to their first love (Revelation 2:4-5). We likewise must take the time out on a daily basis and seek a closer walk with Jesus and ask for the grace to love Him more and more;
Be Zealous for Jesus
Jesus told the lukewarm Church in Laodicea that they think they are rich and are increased with goods, but they do not know that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Jesus counselled this Church that they must be zealous and repent. A zealous person is one who is deeply committed to something. Likewise Jesus is calling us to overcome lukewarmness and be deeply committed to Him;
Be led by The Spirit
Let us walk by the Spirit so that we will not be doing what our sinful nature craves (Galatians 5:16). In order to be led by The Spirit, we have to ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit and then we have to yield our mind, will, emotions and even bodies to the Holy Spirit. We must do what He tells us to do and refrain from doing what He tells us not to do. Even if we don’t get it right and we fail, we can go to God and ask Him to forgive us for He is ready and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me to live for You and to do good to others while I live in Jesus name.
For more information about the Hivite spirit and how to overcome them please visit here.
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How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
All the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard about this, including those in the highlands, the lowlands, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon. They were Hittites and Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
Joshua 9:1-2 (CEB)
When the kings on the west side of Jordan heard about Israel’s successful defeat of Jericho and Ai, they formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
The Lord knew that this would happen which is why before they entered into the Promised Land, He instructed the Children of Israel to destroy the seven nations that were before them:
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you
Deuteronomy 7:1 (NKJV)
There is something in this that applies to all followers of Jesus Christ. When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, there are evil spiritual forces that will try to fight against you, and you too must be able to overcome them before you can enter into your spiritual inheritance.
For the next few weeks, we will be looking at each one of these seven spiritual forces to see how we can overcome them.
The Hittites – spirit of fear
The first group of people who Joshua and the Children of Israel encountered and had to defeat as they entered into the Promised Land were the Hittites. The Hittites were descendants of Heth, whose name means “terror” or “fear”.
Whenever God calls you to do something, the first type of emotion that will try to creep in is fear; and fear can manifest itself in many different forms. It could be the fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being ridiculed, fear of people, fear of public speaking, fear of the dark, fear of death etc.
God knew that fear will try to grip you and that if you allow it, it will stop you from entering into your spiritual inheritance which is why God encouraged us many times in the Bible to “fear not”:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
Why should you overcome fear?
Overcoming fear is essential because Jesus tells us that the fearful shall not inherit the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:8).
How do you overcome fear?
In order to be able to overcome fear, you have to realise that fear is a spirit, this is why the Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). The Bible also tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Below is a list of some of those weapons we can use to overcome fear:
Call on the name of Jesus
The Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved or delivered (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13). We know that Jesus is the name of the Lord because we are told that there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Acts 4:10-12). Therefore if you are afraid please call on Jesus to deliver you from the spirit of fear;
Stand on the truth of God’s Word
You can stand on the truth of God’s word and command the spirit of fear to leave you in Jesus name because the Bible says that God has not given you the spirit of fear. Then ask the Lord to give you His Spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7);
By the blood of Jesus
Revelation 12:11 assures us that as believers we can overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and we know the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, therefore ask the Lord to cleanse you from the spirit of fear with the blood of Jesus Christ;
By the anointing of the Holy Spirit
The spirit of fear will not go away by your own power or by your might but by the Spirit of The Lord (Zechariah 4:6). Therefore ask The Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit and remove the burden and break the yoke of fear from your life by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 10:27);
Be filled with the love of God
John tells us that there is no fear in love; but perfect love drives out fear: because fear has torment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). Pray and ask The Lord to make you perfect in His love and that the love of Christ should dwell in your heart;
Fasting
Jesus said that certain kinds of spirits can only come out through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29, Matthew 17:21). In situations where fear has become entrenched and a stronghold in your life, sometimes commanding it to go alone will not do, you will need to fast as well. The kind of fasting that God wants is one that lets the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people such as fear (Isaiah 58:6);
Obedience to God
When King Saul disobeyed God and His Holy Spirit departed from him, an evil spirit entered into him to torment him (1 Samuel 16:14). It is very important as Children of God that we follow and obey Him at all times because obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). However if we do fall, we should quickly confess our sins, because God is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Prayer:
Dear Father, Your Word says that perfect love drives out fear. Please drive away the spirit of fear from me and fill me with the love of Christ in Jesus name, amen.
In the previous blog, we saw that only those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life shall enter the promised land which is the New Jerusalem. Today we are going to look at those who the Bible says cannot enter into the promised land:
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death
Revelation 21:8 (KJV)
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:27
So, who cannot enter into the New Jerusalem?
The fearful
This refers to Christians who do not have faith in following Jesus. They are timid and fainthearted (cowardly) and fall short in following Christ as Lord. Being a follower of Christ requires courage and anyone who is cowardly will easily give up in the face of persecution however we know that:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Unbelieving
These are those without faith and trust in God. The unbelieving refers to those who refuse to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, (John 20:27); or those who refuse belief in the gospel, (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14), or Christians themselves who depart from the true faith, (2 Timothy 2:18), or those without trust in God:
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
Matthew 17:17
Abominable
Abomination or abominable is something that is detestable, unlawful or repulsive to God. There are many things that are abominable to God:
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans,Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren
Proverbs 6:16-19
From this list, we can see that the things God detests are very close to us. How many times have we had a proud look or sowed discord and disunity among our brethren?
Click here for a full list of what the Bible says about abomination.
Murderers
A Murderer is not just one who kill someone physically. The Bible says that if you hate your brother you are also a murderer:
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him
1 John 3:15
Whoremongers
A whoremonger is a male prostitute or a fornicator, i.e. anyone engaging in sexual immorality. The Bible tells us to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18):
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
Sorcerers
Sorcery is the use of drugs, magic, spells and witchcraft:
There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NKJV)
Idolaters
An idolater is a worshipper of false gods. It can be even a Christian who participates in the worship of another god (1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 10:7). We know that anything we place before God is an idol. A covetous man who is greedy of gain is also an idolater:
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God:
Ephesians 5:5
All liars
Anyone who believes and says things that are false, deceitful, untrue, wicked are all classified as liars. We also saw earlier that lying is an abomination to God:
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man
Psalm 5:6
He that Defileth
Sin is spiritual filth and committing sin is smearing a person’s garments with spiritual filth. When Joshua the High Priest stood before the Angel, Satan stood at his right hand to oppose him because Joshua was clothed with filthy garments which represents iniquity (Zechariah 3:3). God had to command His Angels to take the filthy garments from him and God removed his iniquity and clothed him with rich robes (Zechariah 3:4). As Christians we are told to keep ourselves pure from the defilement of sin:
You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Revelation 3:4
So, who cannot enter into the New Jerusalem?
The fearful
Unbelieving
Abominable
Murderers
Whoremongers
Sorcerers
Idolaters
All liars
He that Defileth
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help me not to do the things that will prevent me from inheriting the Kingdom of God. Please give me courage and faith to serve You. Help me to stay away from things that You detest, and not to hate my brother which is murder in Your eyes. Please help me to avoid sexual immorality and all forms of sorcery. Help me to not place anything before You and to avoid the temptation to lie. Please help me not to defile my conscience or garments with sin but to live in love and purity. All this I ask in Jesus name, amen.
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The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh obeyed Moses. These men crossed the river in front of the other people. These men were prepared for war. They were going to help the rest of the Israelites take the land God had promised to give them. About 40,000 soldiers, prepared for war, passed before the Lord. They were marching toward the plains of Jericho.
Joshua 4:12-13
In this story we are told that the children of Israel were about to cross the river Jordan to go into Jericho, to take the first city that God had promised them.
Even though the men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had already secured their land on the other side of the river, they did not just sit and wait for their brothers to capture their promised land alone. Instead these men were prepared for war.
As Christians, we also have a promised land ahead of us that we have to reach. Our promised land is not made by human hands, for its architect and builder is God Himself (Hebrews 11:10); it is the New Jerusalem which is coming from heaven down to earth:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared. Now there was no sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God Himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”
Revelation 21:1-4
This New Jerusalem, just like the promised land of old, is not easy to attain, we also must be prepared for war in order to reach it. Just like the children of Israel had to destroy the inhabitants of the land before they could possess their land, we too have spiritual giants that we must destroy in order to possess our promised land.
However unlike the Children of Israel who fought a physical fight using natural weapons with their enemies, the Bible tells us that our fight is not against human beings but spiritual forces:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places
Ephesians 6:12
What Does It Mean To Be Prepared?
To be prepared is to be ready “standing by,” ready to meet the opportunity (challenge) at hand; ready because the necessary preparations are done (or are sure to happen as needed).
What Is The War About?
War is a conflict between opposing forces.
You will see from the scripture we are about to read that the war is between God and Satan, and the war started in heaven however it has moved down to earth and we human beings are caught in it, whether we like it or not:
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
And theyovercame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Revelation 12:7-12
So, the forces involved in this war are:
Two Kingdoms – the Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ as its King and the kingdom of darkness with the great dragon, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan as its king.
Two opposing Angels – Michael, the Archangel and his angels and Satan and his angels.
The battlefield – the war started in heaven however the battlefield is now the earth and people in the earth.
Battle strategy – Satan is out to deceive as many human beings as he can so that he can drag them down to hell. He continually accuses the children of God day and night. Satan’s strategy is to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that we may have life in its fullness:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly
John 10:10
God in His love has provided salvation, strength, Kingdom of God and the power of His Christ to all humanity who choose to believe in Jesus Christ His Son:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
How Do We Overcome Satan?
We overcome him by:
The Blood of The Lamb – we apply the blood of Jesus Christ when we accept that we are sinners and ask Him to forgive us and wash us clean with His blood. When we accept Him He becomes our sacrificial lamb (Hebrews 10:10).
The Word of our testimony – we testify when we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9).
We do not love our lives to the death – this means that we will be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also encouraged to die daily to our flesh or natural desires (1 Corinthians 15:31).
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
Next week we’ll be looking at how you can prepare for war.
Prayer:
Dear Lord please help me to be prepared for war as the men from the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Please help me to always be ready to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life, in Jesus name.
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This week’s scripture, encourages us to obey all the commands of God so that we can be successful:
If you obey all the commands in this agreement, you will continue to succeed in everything you do.
Deuteronomy 29:9 (ERV)
What is success?
There are many definitions of success. The world tends to define success by your education, position in life and the things you possess, i.e. money, houses, cars etc. These things perform an important function in our lives however we cannot measure our success by the things that we possess only.
Jesus warns us that we should “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15)
God does promise that if we obey His commands He will make us successful in everything we do, this means we will flourish spiritually, financially, physiologically, relationally, academically, and in all other areas.
What does it mean then to be successful in God’s eyes?
Biblical success can be defined as the following:
Having a relationship with God
We can only have a relationship with God The Father through Jesus Christ His Son:
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)
Love The Lord and love your neighbour as yourself
Once we have this relationship with God we should learn to love the Lord and to love our fellow human beings as we love ourselves:
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in the hearts of people and it is also an everlasting Kingdom (Psalm 145:13) that will replace all the kingdoms of this world (Daniel 2:44, Revelation 11:15).
When we seek for the expansion of God’s Kingdom on earth, the way we spend our time and the things we do will be different. We will be so Kingdom minded that we will want to share the good news about Jesus Christ everywhere we go at any given opportunity, and when we do this all the natural blessings that we want will be given unto us:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)
Walk in God’s purpose for your life
There is a purpose or reason for everything. Purpose is God’s original intention for you, it is the reason why God created you.
I want to assure you that there is a reason why you are alive, and your responsibility is to find out what that is. Each one of us has been called and given a specific purpose, even before time began:
“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9)
Surrender to Jesus
You can only discover your purpose in God your Creator, therefore if you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, please do so by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to come into your heart and then ask God to show you the purpose for your life.
God has inspired me to write a 30-day workbook which is designed to help you to discover your purpose in 30-days. It will provide scriptures for you to meditate on that pertains to purpose and allow you to record any dreams, thoughts or ideas, prophecies, and impressions that come to you. If you would like a copy once it is published please let me know.
Fear God and keep His commandments
The Bible tells us that when all is said and done, we ought to fear God and keep His commandments:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Please respond
These are my definitions of biblical success. What do you think it means to be successful in God’s eye? Please share your views, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at info@blessingcoaching.com
This week, the Lord wants to remind us of what He wants from us, now that, like the children of Israel, He has delivered from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son whom He loves; The Lord Jesus Christ:
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
What then, does the Lord require from us?
1.Fear Him – to fear the Lord means to respect Him and hold Him in high honour. For example we hold Queen Elizabeth in extremely high honour which is why if you were invited into Buckingham Palace to have dinner with The Queen, you will dress appropriately and arrive in good time, and ensure that all protocols are followed. Likewise when we fear The Lord we will ensure that we do what He says because we acknowledge Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).
The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever (Psalm 19:9), and it is also the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
2. Walk in His ways – to walk in His ways means to go where He leads you, which is revealed in His Word. Psalms 103:7 says God made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel. God is willing and ready to make His ways known to you, but He can only do so when you spend time reading His word, asking The Holy Spirit to give you wisdom, revelation and understanding as you read.
As you go into the secret place and spend quality time with Him, ask Him what is on His heart and how you can please Him, then stay quiet and listen to His instructions. Then whatever He tells you to do, go out and do it, that is what it means to walk in His ways.
His ways cannot be contrary to His Word therefore if you are not sure whether what you have heard is the voice of God, please check it against the Word, and if it agrees with the Word then do it.
3. Love Him – the Bible tells us that to love God is to keep His commandments (1 John 5:3). It also tells us that if a man says He loves God and hates his brother he is a liar (1 John 4:20). To love The Lord then means that you put Him first, always be eager to do what pleases Him, do what He tells you to do in His Word and love your fellow human beings as yourself.
4. Serve Him with all your heart and soul – we serve the Lord by worshiping Him and serving our fellow human beings. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and have a restored relationship with God The Father, this is where the real work begins.
As servants of The Lord we must do what the masters tells us to do. Jesus, the One Whom we follow is called the Righteous Servant (Isaiah 53:11). As a Servant, Jesus had much work to do whilst He was on earth; He preached the gospel, healed the sick, cast out demons, did miracles and He finally finished His work by dying on the Cross to bring us back to God.
As His followers, we too must stand strong and always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord because we know that our labour is not in vain in The Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Once you become saved and discover what your calling in life is, we must walk in that holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9). The Lord reminds us to work while it is day because the night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4).
5. Keep the commandments of The Lord – the commandments of Lord are the rules and regulations we have to follow. Thank God that we are no longer under the law but we are under grace. In the Old Testament, the Jews had to abide by hundreds of laws which no man could keep.
Now, praise be to God, the only commandments we have to keep is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Jesus tells us that this is the “first and great commandment”. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:37-39).
To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind means we love Him with everything that is in us, it means that our heart is flooded with Him, and our mind, will and emotions are filled with thoughts about Him. It means we should think more about Him and how to please Him than we do with anything else in our lives.
If you find that your love for God is not as hot as it ought to be, please pray this prayer from the Bible which I have personalised, every morning and night and watch your love for the Lord grow strong:
Prayer for Love
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in my inner man, that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith; that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that I may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
To recap, what The Lord require from us are to:
Fear Him
Walk in His ways
Love Him
Serve Him with all your heart and soul
Keep the commandments of The Lord
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